1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of gaming and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for gaming that enhances the player experience by automatically and randomly selecting a multiplier and automatically and randomly applying the multiplier to a single payline—or up to no more than ten percent (10%) of the total number of paylines—among a plurality of paylines at the start of each game. All paylines are created equal. The paylines are pre-defined by the system, and each payline has the same odds of occurrence (payouts/wins) and functionality as the other paylines. No user input is required for selection of the multiplier or selection of the payline(s) to which the multiplier is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gaming machine manufacturers are currently challenged with creating anticipation and excitement for the player with their gambling features. Many of the current popular gambling machines have a matrix of symbols with multiple paylines or combinations of ways to win with some sort of bonus feature as the main event that increases the odds of winning for the player during that mode. During the bonus mode, the game likely has increased odds to bigger awards and a higher payback percentage to the player, as well as additional game features that create more excitement. These additional game features may or may not include variations on the main game. For example, bonus features that would be considered variations on the main game include award multipliers, increased odds of getting wilds or other valuable symbols, and free games. One example of a bonus feature that would not be considered a variation on the main game is providing a series of “pick” screens where the player picks an object from several objects, and an award value is given. Another example of a bonus feature that would not be considered a variation on the main game is allowing the player to trigger a spin of a wheel with prizes on each segment and awarding the player the value of the segment to which the wheel indicator points when it stops spinning. The present invention would be considered a bonus-type feature that is ongoing (continuous) in the main game.
Many of the popular mainstream gaming machines have multiple paylines (ways to win) with the bet being spread over these many paylines. Because the bet is spread over these multiple ways to win, any one payline win may not result in a very meaningful award. It is fairly typical for a lot of games to be played and money lost (by the player) during the non-bonus mode. As a result, the challenge to gaming manufacturers is to design a game that maintains the player's attention during the base/main game by providing the perception that awards mat are more frequent and/or more attainable. The present invention ensures that the player continues to be entertained during the main game due to the constant anticipation of hitting a multiplier payline with a relatively generous payout.
The present invention creates anticipation at game start because the player knows that a multiplier will be applied in every game and that this multiplier may be relatively large (e.g., 25×). This makes the player feel that there is potential for a meaningful award on a single payline in every game played in a multi-payline game. The present invention makes the multiplier value and multiplier payline clear to the player at game start, which makes it easy for the player to identify the conditions that will lead to enhanced winnings. Because the multiplier is applied to a relatively small percentage of the total number of paylines (preferably, no more than ten percent (10%)), the gaming manufacturer can offer a large range of multipliers (for example, from 4× to 25×). The fact that the paylines are pre-defined by the system and that all paylines are created equal (i.e., each payline has the same odds of occurrence (payouts/wins) and functionality as the other paylines) also increases player trust.
There are a number of multiplier-type gaming methods, none of which both dynamically selects the multiplier and applies it to a dynamically selected and pre-defined payline (or a limited number of pre-defined paylines) at the start of the game. These include U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,124 (Baerlocher et al., 2001) (applying enhancements to certain reel symbols or their backgrounds); U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,254 (Baerlocher et al., 2003) (applying enhancements to certain symbols or their backgrounds); U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,356 (Baerlocher et al., 2004); U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,360 (Marks et al., 2005) (displaying an active border that at least partially surrounds a game matrix and is configured to randomly select and display game and payline multipliers); U.S. Pat. No. 7,349,073 (Thomas et al., 2010) (allowing players to select paylines to define active paylines; allowing players to activate enhanced paylines; randomly selecting a game outcome in response to a wager input and displaying the game outcome as symbols aligned along the active paylines and the enhanced payline); U.S. Pat. No. 8,152,616 (Moody, 2012) (assigning a randomly selected multiplier to activated paylines); U.S. Pat. No. 8,177,622 (Englman, 2012) (in response to a winning outcome, awarding a player a winning award, modifying the background of a cell associated with the winning outcome, and causing an alteration in the wagering game upon modification of the background); U.S. Pat. No. 8,272,938 (Gilmore et al., 2012) (invoking a win multiplier feature when a displayed combination yields a predetermined award and meets a predetermined criterion).
It is an object of the present invention to create the perception in the mind of the player that a meaningful award can be applied and that meaningful awards are attainable during every game play. It is another object of the present invention to introduce a greater degree of unpredictability (and, therefore, excitement) into the game by providing a large range of multipliers (which can only be done if the multipliers are applied to no more than a limited number of paylines). It is yet another object of the present invention to display a dynamic (i.e., automatically and randomly selected) multiplier on the screen at game start and to visually connect that multiplier to a specific “multiplier” payline that is also dynamically selected from among all of the available paylines.